


Under The Graveyard

by ElizabethOlsenIsMySpiritAnimal



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Episode: s07e12 Victory and Death, Episode: s07e12 Victory and Death Spoilers, Gen, Inspired by Music, Post Episode: s07e12 Victory and Death, Post-Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Post-Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Song: Under The Graveyard (Ozzy Osbourne), Title From An Ozzy Osbourne Song
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:20:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24061999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElizabethOlsenIsMySpiritAnimal/pseuds/ElizabethOlsenIsMySpiritAnimal
Summary: Vader, a lightsaber, and the snow.
Relationships: Ahsoka Tano & Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano
Comments: 16
Kudos: 85





	Under The Graveyard

**Author's Note:**

> Because that last minute or two of Victory and Death made me sad.

//

There was, at his feet, a lightsaber.

It was tarnished and marred by rust, and only the most observant of eyes would have spotted it in this, this snowy wasteland, this grim memorial to lives beyond counting lost to the insatiable hunger of war. 

And yet, Darth Vader had noticed it.

For a reason he could not - would not - fathom, the Dark Lord of the Sith had been drawn to the planet like a magnet, an insistent pulse at the back of his mind telling him he  _ had  _ to visit the planet, to find something or someone of importance to him. Vader had blocked it out for a time, oh, he had, but the call had become more and more insistent as the days went by, until, finally, he had no choice but to address it.

And so, here he was.

Scattered around him were various stormtroopers, examining the wreckage for anything useful. Clues to lost Jedi, no doubt. Vader knew instinctively that they would find nothing useful, no clues to help the hunters find their prey, but he did not mind. Let the soldiers who would so readily die at his command believe they were doing something useful, it kept them out of his way as he examined the object at his feet. 

A lightsaber.

Instinctively, he knew exactly who that lightsaber belonged to. A small, young girl who had once wielded it, in another time, another life. Even here, buried in the snow, he could see the familiar lines and contours of the blade, he had, after all, memorized every inch of it in his own handling of it.

_ This weapon is your life! _

He had heard that lesson, had imparted it himself, a long time ago, when he’d been a weak man hindered by the trappings of  _ the Jedi.  _ He supposed it still had some meaning - just because information came from a source you didn’t like didn’t mean it wasn’t useful - and before he knew it, he was reaching down to pick up the blade, if only for a moment. As gloved fingers gripped the blade and plucked it free of the snow- 

_ My name is Ahsoka Tano. _

-something...forbidden rose to mind. In Vader’s eyes, he saw  _ someone,  _ long gone, looking up at him with wide eyes. A hopeful smile crested her lips, as she looked up to someone she considered a mentor. He remembered mentoring this girl, aiding her in her trials. He remembered taking care of her when she was hurt, lifting her up when she was down, soothing her when she was scared. He remembered  _ who  _ this blade had called it’s owner. This lightsaber belonged to-

_ The apprentice. _

-and Vader paused. A hand brushed away some of the snow, gently pushing it off of the abandoned saber and falling to the icy ground. The blade was covered in rust, the caustic element eating away at the saber, slowly, but surely. Lightsabers were built to withstand the rigors of war, of travel and trial, but without maintenance, even the best blades would wither away. And he knew this had been one of the best, he’d worked on it, after all.

_ They’re good as new, maybe a little better. _

Out of curiosity, he activated it, and with a hum, the saber ignited, a bright blue beam shooting into existence. Vader observed it with clinical, almost detached analysis. A Jedi’s weapon, and despite his hatred of that fallen order, he supposed that they at the very least could be commended for their craftsmanship with their weapons. A small part of him thought to perhaps disassemble the weapon, to scatter it’s pieces to the four winds and take the crystals within for himself, but something stopped him.

_ Anakin...good luck! _

In his mind’s eye, the Apprentice smiled at him. Wished him luck in his task, her eyes shining with warmth he’d only known from a few. Though unseen to those around him, Vader felt his fingers begin to tremble, ever so slightly, as the memory flooded his senses with a warm, comforting sensation he hadn’t felt since the day the light died. 

Somewhere above him, he heard a bird call. 

He lowered the blade, ever so gently, and observed the creature. The Force moved strangely around it, as it circled high above, making it’s infernal racket. Vader would have given an order to fire upon it, solely because he could, but again, something stopped him, and so he simply observed as the bird flew about, as if it was watching him,  _ judging  _ him, peering into his soul and bearing witness to all his sins. 

Perhaps it was.

Pushing the matter out of his head, Vader turned the saber off and strode away, back to his shuttle, leaving the broken warship behind. He had what he needed, and to be quite frank, he had more important things to do than stand in a snowy wasteland, stare at wildlife and hold a broken lightsaber in his hands. Upon getting back to his ship, he would attend to the saber, fix it up, restore it to its former glory. It would be a fine trophy to keep in his castle on Mustafar, a monument to Skywalker’s weakness, a weakness Vader had long since moved past.

And if, every now and then, he held it and thought fondly about his lost apprentice, well, no one had to know but him. 

//

**Author's Note:**

> Something something meaningful goes here.


End file.
